Academy 18138 Da Vinci Mechanical Drum

Leonardo Da Vinci (born in 1452, died in 1519) was undoubtedly one of the most brilliant people of the Renaissance and is widely regarded as one of the most talented people in history. He was not only an exceptionally talented painter, author of such masterpieces as "The Lady with an Ermine" or "The Last Supper", but also an extremely prolific inventor and innovator. One of his great passions was music, and this passion led to the design of one of Leonardo's most unusual inventions - the Mechanical Drum. Based on two drawings from the Atlantic Codex, i.e. a collection of notes by Leonardo da Vinci from 1489-1492, it can be concluded that the drum was designed to be used in a variety of situations - both military and civil. The construction was based on placing the drum in front of the device and the use of two wooden rollers rotated by a crank, to which the sticks were to be attached to beat the beat. Interestingly, the sticks and rollers could be set to punch the desired rhythm or melody. The drum was also placed on a circular "chassis", which mechanically beat the rhythm as the device was moved!